From the bestselling author of RUNNER comes the next thriller featuring Sam Dryden, in the series that has captured the imagination of readers worldwide. In the middle of the night, ex-Special Forces operative Sam Dryden gets an urgent call from an old colleague, desperate for his help in a last-minute secret mission. Without a moment’s hesitation, Dryden agrees. The two race to a remote shack in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, where they break in, rescue four kidnapped girls, then flee into the hills just seconds ahead of the arriving police and FBI team. It’s then that Sam Dryden learns the real secret behind this mission. His former teammate has been working security for an old friend whose company discovered something, and developed a device around that discovery, which had the power to change the course of history. But, as Newton’s laws predict, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. There are some very bad people determined to get their hands on this device, and will stop at nothing to do so. This hidden group apparently has the money, the connections, the men, and the material to accomplish anything they want. Now the only thing standing in their way is Sam Dryden.

WHY IT’S ON MY RADAR:
I really, really enjoyed Lee’s Tangent series (The Breach, Ghost Country and Deep Sky). And then Runner, the start of his follow-on thriller Sam Dryden series, was pretty darned good, too. Signal is the sequel to Runner. Will this be Lee’s 5th page-turner? I aim to find out.

Bioengineer Peter Bernhardt has dedicated his life to nanotechnology, the science of manipulating matter on the atomic scale. As the founder of Biogineers, he is on the cusp of revolutionizing brain therapies with microscopic nanorobots that will make certain degenerative diseases a thing of the past. But after his research is stolen by an unknown enemy, seventy thousand people die in Las Vegas in one abominable moment. No one is more horrified than Peter, as this catastrophe sets in motion events that will forever change not only his life but also the course of human evolution.

Peter’s company is torn from his grasp as the public clamors for his blood. Desperate, he turns to an old friend, who introduces him to the Phoenix Club, a cabal of the most powerful men in the world. To make himself more valuable to his new colleagues, Peter infuses his brain with experimental technology, exponentially upgrading his mental prowess and transforming him irrevocably.

As he’s exposed to unimaginable wealth and influence, Peter’s sense of reality begins to unravel. Do the club members want to help him, or do they just want to claim his technology? What will they do to him once they have their prize? And while he’s already evolved beyond mere humanity, is he advanced enough to take on such formidable enemies and win?

WHY IT’S ON MY RADAR:
Did you read the synopsis? I love a good technothriller, especially one that’s not afraid to avoid playing it safe. Seventy thousand deaths? Sounds like pretty serious consequences to me. And that cover! I love it. Very eye-catching.

From the author of the Revelation Space series comes an interstellar adventure of war, identity, betrayal, and the preservation of civilization itself.

A vast conflict, one that has encompassed hundreds of worlds and solar systems, appears to be finally at an end. A conscripted soldier is beginning to consider her life after the war and the family she has left behind. But for Scur—and for humanity—peace is not to be.

On the brink of the ceasefire, Scur is captured by a renegade war criminal, and left for dead in the ruins of a bunker. She revives aboard a prisoner transport vessel. Something has gone terribly wrong with the ship.

Passengers—combatants from both sides of the war—are waking up from hibernation far too soon. Their memories, embedded in bullets, are the only links to a world which is no longer recognizable. And Scur will be reacquainted with her old enemy, but with much higher stakes than just her own life.

WHY IT’S ON MY RADAR:
I’m a huge fan of Reynolds’ stories. I’d be reading this even it didn’t sound all that cool — and it does sound cool. It’s a short novel (192 pages) which, for better or worse, aligns with the amount of reading time I seem to be finding. Bonus: an advance review copy arrived in the mail this week. This one is more than on my radar, it’s on my desk!

TSP On This Day

Attention authors! Ellen Datlow is calling for submissions volume 9 of Best Horror of the Year (Night Shade Books) Here's the press release: I am editing the anthology series Best Horror of the Year (Night Shade Books) and am currently reading for the ninth volume, which will include all material published in 2016. I am looking for stories and poetry from Continue Reading →

Remember that crowdsourced project from several months ago about all the people who were gonna re-film, 15 seconds at a time, Star Wars: A New Hope in its entirety? Yeah, well, it's done and it's more watchable than you'd think.

Tim Lebbon is the author of nearly thirty books, including The Island and, with Chris Golden, the acclaimed Hidden Cities series. He is the winner of numerous British Fantasy Awards and a Bram Stoker Award. He lives in the Welsh countryside with his wife and children. His brand new book, Alien: Out of the Shadows, will be out from Titan Continue Reading →